Abstract
It is essential to ask why there is so little attention paid to
political philosophy among these scholars? Or, if there is, why does it
remain a minor or marginal conversation? Did they consider the
discussion on governance under the other areas of their expertise, such
as jurisprudence (Fiqh)? And, if yes, what motivated them to do
so? Or, at least in Shia Islam, did this arise from their general belief
that if there is an Imam, he is the right person to govern the
community, and if we are in the occultation era, then our only choice is
to wait for the Imam to return? Consequently, there is no need to
philosophize an ideal society, an occurrence of which only happens with
the presence of an Imam. Clarifying the questions mentioned above
requires another investigation. We leave these questions aside here and
focus instead on contemporary Shia philosophers to examine their
thoughts on political philosophy, Utopia, or any discussion of
governance. Our goal is to identify the al-Fārābīan heritage of the
Islamic intellectual tradition in a more recent period.